Vehicle lighting equipment

Abstract

A vehicle lighting device that can be made thinner is provided. [Solution] The light guide 30 includes a light source 22, a light incident surface 34B into which light emitted from the light source 22 enters, and a light exit surface 31A from which the light incident from the light incident surface 34B exits toward the interior of the vehicle cabin, the light source 22 being accommodated in a hole 34 formed in the light guide 30, and at least a portion of the inner surface 34A of the hole 34 being the light incident surface 34B.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a vehicle lighting device. [Background technology]

[0002] A conventional vehicle lighting device is described in the following Patent Document 1. The vehicle lighting device described in Patent Document 1 includes a light source (LED lamp), a light guide having an emission surface that emits light from the light source, and a housing member (holder) that houses the light source and the light guide. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-108125 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The above-described configuration includes a housing member that houses the light source and the light guide, which increases the thickness of the entire device by the amount of the housing member.

[0005] The technology disclosed in this specification was developed based on the above circumstances, and has an object to provide a vehicle lighting device that can be made thinner. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] As a means for solving the above problem, the vehicle lighting device disclosed in this specification comprises a light source, a light guide having a light incident surface into which light emitted from the light source is incident, and a light exit surface that emits the light incident from the light incident surface toward the interior of the vehicle cabin, wherein the light source is accommodated in a hole formed in the light guide, and at least a portion of the inner surface of the hole is the light incident surface.

[0007] By accommodating the light source in a hole formed in the light guide, the light source can be protected without using a dedicated member (such as a housing) for accommodating and protecting the light source, which reduces the number of parts and allows for a thinner design.

[0008] The vehicle interior material may further include a light-reflecting sheet that covers the light guide from the outside of the vehicle cabin and has elasticity, and at the outer peripheral edge of the light-reflecting sheet, one of a pair of outer peripheral edges arranged on both sides in one direction along the surface of the light-reflecting sheet has a shape that is bent so that its tip faces the other outer peripheral edge, and at least a part of the one outer peripheral edge is housed in a recess that is provided on the surface of the vehicle interior material that faces the outside of the vehicle cabin and that opens toward the other outer peripheral edge, and further, at least a part of the one outer peripheral edge is pressed against the inner surface of the recess by the elastic restoring force of the one outer peripheral edge.

[0009] By providing the light reflecting sheet, light directed from the light guide toward the outside of the vehicle cabin can be reflected toward the inside of the vehicle cabin. Furthermore, by pressing one outer peripheral edge of the light reflecting sheet against the inner surface of the recess, the one outer peripheral edge can be held within the recess. This allows a portion of the outer peripheral edge of the light reflecting sheet to be fixed to the vehicle interior material.

[0010] Furthermore, each of the two end portions of the light reflecting sheet in a direction perpendicular to the one direction can be fixed to the light guide with adhesive tape. This more reliably prevents the light reflecting sheet from being displaced. In the above configuration, a portion (one of the outer peripheral ends) of the light reflecting sheet is held in place by being accommodated in a recess. Therefore, the work involved in applying the adhesive tape can be reduced compared to a configuration in which the outer peripheral end of the light reflecting sheet is fixed with adhesive tape around the entire periphery.

[0011] Furthermore, a light-blocking paint may be applied to the surface of the light reflecting sheet opposite to the light guide, so that the paint can block light that passes through the light reflecting sheet and travels toward the outside of the vehicle cabin, thereby suppressing light leakage. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle lighting device that can be made thinner. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view showing a door trim provided with a lighting device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] Cross-sectional view of the lighting device (corresponding to the view cut along line II-II in Figure 4) [Figure 3] A view of the light guide and the light source unit from outside the vehicle [Figure 4] View of the lighting device from outside the vehicle DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 4. In this embodiment, a lighting device 20 provided on a vehicle door trim 10 (vehicle interior material) is illustrated as an example of a vehicle lighting device. Note that the drawings will be described with the arrow F indicating the front of the vehicle, the arrow R indicating the rear of the vehicle, the arrow U indicating the upward direction, the arrow D indicating the downward direction, the arrow IN indicating the inside of the vehicle cabin (inside the vehicle cabin), and the arrow OUT indicating the outside of the vehicle cabin (outside the vehicle cabin).

[0015] The door trim 10 is configured to cover a vehicle door panel (not shown) from the inside of the vehicle compartment, and as shown in FIG. 1, includes a plate-shaped trim main body 11 and an ornament 12. The trim main body 11 also has an armrest 13 that bulges into the vehicle compartment, and an inside handle accommodating portion 14 that opens into the vehicle compartment. The inside handle accommodating portion 14 accommodates an inside handle (not shown) for opening and closing the vehicle door. The trim main body 11 is made of, for example, natural fiber and synthetic resin material, but the materials are not limited to these.

[0016] The ornament 12 is a decorative member, and as shown in FIG. 2, comprises a base material 15 made of a light-transmitting synthetic resin material (such as acrylic or polycarbonate), and a decorative film 16 attached to the surface of the base material 15 facing the interior of the vehicle.

[0017] The substrate 15 includes a plate-shaped substrate main body 17 and mounting claws 18, 19 provided on the surface of the substrate main body 17 facing outside the vehicle cabin. The substrate main body 17 has, for example, a rectangular shape that is long in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The decorative film 16 is light-transmitting, and has a pattern or the like printed on its surface.

[0018] As shown in Fig. 2, the lighting device 20 includes a light source unit 21, a light guide 30, and a light reflecting sheet 50. As shown in Fig. 3, the light source unit 21 includes a plurality of light sources 22 and a substrate 23 on which the plurality of light sources 22 are mounted. The light sources 22 are configured using LEDs, for example, but are not limited to this. The substrate 23 has a longitudinal shape that is long in the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle, and the plurality of light sources 22 are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the substrate 23.

[0019] As shown in Fig. 2, the light guide 30 includes a plate-shaped light guide plate 31 (light guide body) and bent portions 32 and 33 that are L-shaped in cross section and rise from the light guide plate 31 toward the interior of the vehicle (left side in Fig. 2). The light guide 30 is made of a material that has a refractive index that is sufficiently higher than that of air and is optically transparent. Examples of materials that can be used for the light guide 30 include resins such as acrylic and polycarbonate, and glass. The bent portion 32 is provided at the upper end of the light guide plate 31, and the bent portion 33 is provided at a portion of the light guide plate 31 near the lower end.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 3, a hole 34 having a shape that follows the shape of the light source unit 21 when viewed from outside the vehicle cabin is formed in a portion of the light guide plate 31 near its lower end. As shown in FIG. 2, the hole 34 is formed to penetrate the light guide plate 31 in the vehicle interior / exterior direction, and is disposed in a portion located above the bent portion 33. The light source unit 21 is fitted into the hole 34. As a result, a portion of the substrate 23 and the plurality of light sources 22 are housed in the hole 34. The substrate 23 is fixed to an upward-facing surface of an inner surface 34A of the hole 34. As shown in FIG. 3, a portion of the inner surface 34A of the hole 34 (a downward-facing surface of the inner surface 34A) is disposed opposite the light emission surface 22A of the light source 22, and serves as a light incidence surface 34B onto which light emitted from the light source 22 is incident.

[0021] The surface of the light guide plate 31 facing the interior of the vehicle is a light exit surface 31A that emits light incident from the light incident surface 34B toward the interior of the vehicle. Light emitted from the light source 22 enters the light guide plate 31 from the light incident surface 34B, is guided within the light guide plate 31 by total reflection, and is emitted from the light exit surface 31A. As shown in FIG. 2, the surface of the light guide plate 31 facing the exterior of the vehicle is formed with a plurality of recesses 35 (not shown in FIG. 3) that reflect light from within the light guide plate 31 toward the interior of the vehicle and emit it from the light exit surface 31A. The configuration for emitting light from within the light guide plate 31 from the light exit surface 31A is not limited to the recesses 35. For example, a dot pattern that scatters and reflects light from within the light guide plate 31 may be formed on the surface of the light guide plate 31 facing the exterior of the vehicle.

[0022] As shown in Fig. 2, a through hole 11A is formed in the trim main body 11, penetrating from the interior to the exterior of the vehicle, and the light guide 30 is housed in the through hole 11A. The ornament 12 is arranged so as to cover the through hole 11A from the inside of the vehicle. The mounting claws 18 of the ornament 12 are inserted into mounting holes 11B formed in the trim main body 11 at the hole edge of the through hole 11A. In this way, the ornament 12 is attached to the trim main body 11.

[0023] The tip of the upper bent portion 32 of the light guide 30 is sandwiched between the trim main body 11 and the base material main body 17. A mounting hole 32A is formed at the tip of the bent portion 32 at a location that overlaps with the mounting hole 11B. The mounting claw 18 is inserted into both the mounting hole 32A and the mounting hole 11B from the inside of the vehicle compartment, and its tip engages with the hole edge of the mounting hole 11B from the outside of the vehicle compartment. The lower bent portion 33 of the light guide 30 is formed with a mounting hole 33A through which the mounting claw 19 of the ornament 12 is inserted. The tip of the mounting claw 19 is configured to engage with the hole edge of the mounting hole 33A from the outside of the vehicle compartment.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 2 , the light reflecting sheet 50 is disposed so as to cover the light guide 30 from the outside of the vehicle cabin (the outside of the vehicle cabin, the right side of FIG. 2 ). The light reflecting sheet 50 can reflect light emitted from the light guide plate 31 to the outside of the vehicle cabin into the inside of the vehicle cabin. The light reflecting sheet 50 has elasticity. The light reflecting sheet 50 can be, for example, made of synthetic resin and having a white surface with excellent light reflectivity, but is not limited thereto, and can be any sheet configured to reflect light into the vehicle cabin. A paint 51 having light-blocking properties is applied to the surface of the light reflecting sheet 50 opposite the light guide 30 (the surface facing the outside of the vehicle cabin). The paint 51 can be, for example, black paint, but the color of the paint 51 is not limited thereto, and can be any color that has light-blocking properties.

[0025] As shown in Fig. 4, the light reflecting sheet 50 has a rectangular shape that is elongated in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. As shown in Fig. 2, at the outer peripheral edge of the light reflecting sheet 50, an upper outer peripheral edge 52 (one of a pair of outer peripheral edges arranged on both sides in one direction along the surface of the light reflecting sheet) has a bent shape (U-shaped) such that a tip 52E faces a lower outer peripheral edge 53 (the other outer peripheral edge, the lower side in Fig. 2). More specifically, the outer peripheral edge 52 has a portion 52A arranged on the interior side of the vehicle cabin and a portion 52B arranged on the exterior side of the vehicle cabin, and the portion 52B is folded back from the portion 52A. The outer peripheral edge 52 is the outer peripheral edge that forms the upper side of the four sides that form the outer peripheral edge of the light reflecting sheet 50, and the outer peripheral edge 53 is the outer peripheral edge that forms the lower side of the four sides that form the outer peripheral edge of the light reflecting sheet 50.

[0026] As shown in Fig. 2, a protrusion 60 that protrudes toward the outside of the vehicle cabin is provided on the exterior surface of the trim main body 11 (the exterior surface of the vehicle interior material) at a location corresponding to the outer peripheral end 52. A recess 61 that opens toward the outer peripheral end 53 is formed in the protrusion 60. In other words, the recess 61 opens downward. A portion of the outer peripheral end 52 is housed in the recess 61.

[0027] A part of the outer peripheral end 52 (the part of the outer peripheral end 52 that is accommodated in the recess 61) is pressed against the inner surface of the recess 61 by an elastic restoring force of the outer peripheral end 52 (a force that causes the bent outer peripheral end 52 to return to its original shape). More specifically, a part 52A of the outer peripheral end 52 that is arranged on the passenger compartment side is pressed against a surface of the inner surface of the recess 61 that faces the passenger compartment outside (the right side in FIG. 2), and a part 52B of the outer peripheral end 52 that is arranged on the passenger compartment outside is pressed against a surface of the inner surface of the recess 61 that faces the passenger compartment inside (the left side in FIG. 2). As shown in FIG. 4, the protrusion 60 has a shape that extends along the outer peripheral end 52.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 2 , in the light reflecting sheet 50, the lower outer peripheral edge 53 has a U-shaped bend such that a tip 53E faces the upper outer peripheral edge 52 (the upper side in FIG. 2 ). More specifically, the outer peripheral edge 53 has a portion 53A disposed on the interior side of the vehicle cabin and a portion 53B disposed on the exterior side of the vehicle cabin, with the portion 53B being folded back from the portion 53A. A bent portion 62 having an L-shape in cross section is formed on the exterior side of the trim main body 11 at a location corresponding to the outer peripheral edge 53. A tip portion 62A of the bent portion 62 is positioned opposite the lower end 31B of the light guide plate 31 at a distance in the interior / exterior direction of the vehicle cabin. The space surrounded by the bent portion 62 and the lower end 31B of the light guide plate 31 is a recess 63 that opens toward the outer peripheral edge 52. A portion of the outer peripheral edge 53 is accommodated in the recess 63.

[0029] Outer peripheral end 53 is pressed against the inner surface of recess 63 by the elastic restoring force of outer peripheral end 53. More specifically, portion 53A of outer peripheral end 53 that is arranged on the interior side of the vehicle is pressed against the surface of the inner surface of recess 63 that faces the exterior side of the vehicle (the right side in FIG. 2) (the exterior side of light guide plate 31), and portion 53B of outer peripheral end 53 that is arranged on the exterior side of the vehicle is pressed against the surface of the inner surface of recess 63 that faces the interior side of the vehicle (the left side in FIG. 2) (the interior side surface of tip portion 62A). Note that bent portion 62 has a shape that extends along outer peripheral end 53, as shown in FIG. 4.

[0030] 4, in the light reflecting sheet 50, both end portions 54, 54 in the vehicle longitudinal direction (direction perpendicular to the one direction) are fixed to the light guide 30 (more specifically, the surface of the light guide plate 31 facing the exterior of the vehicle cabin) by adhesive tape 70. The end portion 54 extends in the vertical direction and constitutes one of the four sides that constitute the outer peripheral end portion of the light reflecting sheet 50. The adhesive tape 70 has a longitudinal shape that extends along the end portion 54.

[0031] In this embodiment, light emitted from the light exit surface 31A of the light guide plate 31 passes through the ornament 12 and is irradiated into the vehicle interior. During this process, some of the light that enters the interior of the base material 15 of the ornament 12 may be guided inside the base material 15 and then emitted to the outside of the vehicle interior through the mounting claws 18, 19. As shown in FIG. 2 , the light reflecting sheet 50 is disposed so as to cover the mounting claws 18, 19 of the ornament 12 from the outside of the vehicle interior. Therefore, even if light from inside the base material 15 is emitted to the outside of the vehicle interior through the mounting claws 18, 19, the light can be reflected into the interior of the vehicle interior by the light reflecting sheet 50, thereby suppressing light leakage.

[0032] Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described. The lighting device 20 of this embodiment includes a light source 22, a light guide 30 having a light incident surface 34B onto which light emitted from the light source 22 is incident, and a light exit surface 31A from which the light incident from the light incident surface 34B is exited toward the interior of the vehicle. The light source 22 is accommodated in a hole 34 formed in the light guide 30, and at least a part of an inner surface 34A of the hole 34 serves as the light incident surface 34B.

[0033] By accommodating the light source 22 in the hole 34 formed in the light guide 30, the light source 22 can be protected without using a dedicated member (such as a housing) for accommodating and protecting the light source 22. This allows the number of parts to be reduced, and a thinner design can be achieved.

[0034] The light guide 30 is also covered from the outside of the vehicle cabin with an elastic light reflecting sheet 50, and at the outer peripheral end of the light reflecting sheet 50, one outer peripheral end 52 of a pair of outer peripheral ends arranged on both sides in one direction along the surface of the light reflecting sheet 50 has a bent shape with a tip 52E directed toward the other outer peripheral end 53, and the one outer peripheral end 52 is housed in a recess 61 provided on the surface of the door trim 10 (trim main body 11) facing the vehicle cabin outside, the recess 61 opening toward the other outer peripheral end 53, and further, the one outer peripheral end 52 is pressed against the inner surface of the recess 61 by the elastic restoring force of the one outer peripheral end 52.

[0035] By providing the light reflecting sheet 50, light traveling from the light guide 30 toward the outside of the vehicle cabin can be reflected toward the inside of the vehicle cabin. Furthermore, one outer peripheral end 52 of the light reflecting sheet 50 is pressed against the inner surface of the recess 61, so that the one outer peripheral end 52 can be held within the recess 61. This allows a portion of the outer peripheral end of the light reflecting sheet 50 to be fixed to the door trim 10 (more specifically, the trim main body 11).

[0036] Furthermore, each of the end portions 54, 54 of the light reflecting sheet 50 in the vehicle longitudinal direction is fixed to the light guide 30 by adhesive tape 70. This more reliably prevents the light reflecting sheet 50 from being displaced. In the above configuration, a part of the outer peripheral end portion of the light reflecting sheet 50 (one outer peripheral end portion 52) is held by being accommodated in the recess 61, and the outer peripheral end portion 53 of the light reflecting sheet 50 is held by being accommodated in the recess 63. Therefore, the amount of work involved in applying the adhesive tape 70 can be reduced compared to a configuration in which the outer peripheral end portion of the light reflecting sheet 50 is fixed with adhesive tape 70 around the entire periphery.

[0037] In addition, a light-blocking paint 51 is applied to the surface of the light reflecting sheet 50 opposite to the light guide 30. The paint 51 can block light that passes through the light reflecting sheet 50 and heads toward the outside of the vehicle interior, thereby suppressing light leakage.

[0038] <Other embodiments> The technology disclosed in this specification is not limited to the embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawings, and the following embodiments, for example, are also included in the technical scope. (1) In the above embodiment, the vehicle interior material is exemplified as a door trim for a vehicle, but is not limited thereto. Examples of the vehicle interior material include vehicle interior materials other than door trim (instrument panels, pillar garnishes, roof linings, etc.), and vehicle interior materials for airplanes, ships, etc. (2) In the above embodiment, a configuration in which a portion of the outer peripheral end 52 is housed in the recess 61 is exemplified. However, the entire outer peripheral end 52 may be housed in the recess 61. (3) In the above embodiment, the hole 34 that penetrates from the interior to the exterior of the vehicle is exemplified as the hole in which the light source 22 is housed. However, the hole in which the light source 22 is housed may be recessed in the surface of the light guide 30. (4) In the above embodiment, a light diffusion sheet may be disposed so as to cover the light exit surface 31A of the light guide plate 31. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 10...door trim (vehicle interior material), 20...lighting device, 22...light source, 30...light guide, 31A...light exit surface, 34...hole, 34A...inner surface of hole, 34B...light entrance surface, 50...light reflecting sheet, 51...paint, 52...outer peripheral end (one of a pair of outer peripheral end portions arranged on both sides in one direction along the surface of the light reflecting sheet), 52E...tip of outer peripheral end, 53...outer peripheral end (the other outer peripheral end), 54...end (one of both ends in a direction perpendicular to the one direction on the light reflecting sheet), 61...recess, 70...adhesive tape

Claims

1. A light source and a light guide body having a light incident surface onto which light emitted from the light source is incident, and a light exit surface from which the light incident from the light incident surface is exited toward the interior of a vehicle; The light source is accommodated in a hole formed in the light guide; At least a part of the inner surface of the hole is the light incident surface.

2. a light reflecting sheet that covers the light guide from the outside of the vehicle cabin and has elasticity; At the outer peripheral end of the light reflecting sheet, one of a pair of outer peripheral end portions arranged on both sides in one direction along the surface of the light reflecting sheet has a shape that is bent so that a tip thereof faces the other outer peripheral end portion, At least a portion of the one outer peripheral end is accommodated in a recess provided on a surface of the vehicle interior material facing the vehicle cabin outside, the recess opening toward the other outer peripheral end, 2. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the one outer peripheral end is pressed against an inner surface of the recess by an elastic restoring force of the one outer peripheral end.

3. 3. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 2, wherein each of both end portions of the light reflecting sheet in the direction perpendicular to the one direction is fixed to the light guide by an adhesive tape.

4. 4. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 2, wherein a paint having a light-blocking property is applied to a surface of said light reflecting sheet opposite to said light guide.

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